Metal scaffold plank



Oct. 18, 19.49.

A. F. POLL MAN METAL SCAFFOLD PLANK 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 27,1946 -ew/wu I. Lp.

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Ilm alla Patented Oct. 18 1949 METAL scAFFoLD PLANK Adam F. Pollman,Milwaukee, Wis., assigner of one-half to Ira Milton Jones, River Hills,Wis.

Application March 27, 1946, Serial No. 657,525

3 Claims. (Cl. 304-38) This invention relates to planking of the type sused with scaffolding and has as its general purpose the provision of alight weight metal planking unit to be used in lieu of the wooden plankscustomarily used in the construction of staging,

platforms and runways supported by scaffolding.

While great strides have been madein the development of light weightmetal scaffolding, no speciiic provision Wals made for constructing theplatforms and runways of scaiiolding upon Which the Workmen stand andmove about. Instead it has been the practice to use ordinary woodenplanks for this purpose. The use of such wooden planks is hardly inkeeping with the advance made in scaffolding, but what is moreimportant, it is not as safe as it should be for no suitable meansexists for securing Wooden planking in position and preventing itsshifting to the extent that the workmen might very likely step onto anunsupported end of a plank.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to not only provide aheater more practical planking unit for use with scaffolding, but alsoto provide improved means for attaching the same to the supportingmembers of the scaiording in such a Way that the planking units will beheld against shifting,

Another object of this invention is to provide metal planking soconstructed that units thereof may be arranged substantiallycontinuously end-to-end.

A further object of this invention is to provide a light weight sheetmetal planking unit for the purpose set forth which is inexpensive toproduce and light enough to be easily handled and Icarried up thescaffolding.

It is also an object of this invention to provide planking of thecharacter described provided with a non-slip surface.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a light sheet metalplanking unit consisting of telescoped sections so as to provide a unitof variable length.

With the above and other objects in View, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed, and more particularly dened by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of thehereindisclosed invention may be made as come Within the scope of theclaims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate several complete examples of thephysical embodiment of the invention constructed in accordance with thebest modes so far devised for the practical application of theprinciples thereof, and. in which: I

Figure 1 is a perspective sectional view showing a light weight metalscaffolding unit embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating a slightmodification of the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view of two planking units arranged end-to-end toillustrate the manner in which adjacent ends of such units are carriedon the same supporting member, said view having portions thereof brokenaway and in section to facilitate illustration oi structural details;-

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view on the'plane of the line 4--4 inFigure 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective of an extensible unit embodying thisinvention;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional View through Figure 5 taken on the planeof line 6 6; and

Figure '7 is a perspective view of a planking unit of xed length andsomewhat modied construction. r

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 5designates a planking unit constructed in accordance with thisinvvention and consisting of three (3) inverted channels 6, 7, and 8.These channels are secured together in side-by-side relation with theirweb portions 9 substantially coplanar and forming the top surface of theplanking unit. Although any suitable means may be employed to secure thechannels together, weld spots Ill serve admirably to join theircontiguousportions and thus Iconnect the three (3) channels into oneunit. y

The middle channel 1 has its two flanges II: of the same height whilethe side channels 6 and 8 have inner flanges I 2 of the same height asthe flanges I I and outer ilanges I3 of greater height. These outerilanges form the lsides of the planking unit. All of the flanges haveinturned marginal edge portions I 4 to which a cross member I5 issecured by welding or the like. yAlthough only one such cross member isshown in Figure 1 it should be understood that more may be employed asdetermined by the length of the planking unit. To avoid projectionsbeyond the bottom edges of the side anges I3, the ends of the crossmember I5 rest on the inner surfaces of the adjacent marginal edgeportions I4.

The ends of the planking unit have their under s lower edges of theflanges of the channels. This re-entrant formation of the ends of theplanking unit enables hooks I6 to be so mounted that the centers of thehooks are substantially in line with the ends of the planking unit asshown in Figure 3. As a result the adjacent ends of two end-toendplanking units may rest on a common supporting member Il which may bepart of the scaffolding (not shown) ,with which the planking isemployed.

Not only does this end formation of the unit permit the adjacent ends oftwo planking units tobe carried by the same support, but alsoit enablesthe planking units to have their adjacent ends in abutting relation. l

ing unit) consist of a length ,ofsheetgnetal folded longitudinally as atI8 and extending across the full Width of the planking unit with oneflange I9 thereof welded to theends of the flanges of the invertedchannels. The. otherfflangefmof this .cross imember has its outer`marginal edge .portion curved or bent as at 2l to define the hookproper, and- -aseshown Tint Figure .3,. the center \ofthe.arc :denedbythis curved por-.tionffis perpendicularly in line with the extreme endof the..planlcing unit. "Ilhus when the hooksoftwoadjacentendt0.end

` :Planking units areiengaged. in superimposed-relation and carried by acommon-support,.as shown in-Eigurepl` theextremeends of the plankingunit `abuteach other andare vertically. ,offset onlyuby vthe 'thickness.ofthe .metal of v.which the hooks. are formed.

. r:The top surface vof the planking-unitpreferably has .a Inoue-slip:.formation provided .inany suita- .b1e..manner..but. preferablyI bypunching. a.multi plicity of holes 22 into. the/.webs of the .invertedchannels. #The holes .are punched. outwardly through the web portions`andthe flashingformed .dpringzthe .punching operation.- is-leftstanding.

around :the edges of the holes, thus .providing rel- @tively .roughedgedprotrusions on :the surface of Athejunit. While the `rdrawing showsgonly.partof the punched holes it is understood that theyoover the .entireltop.

The construction illustrated in Figure 1. whereixr the.- planking ,unitA consists of :three .(Ble Side- .byrside inverted channels achievessubstantial :rigidity weven With ,I relativelyl light gauge sheet metal.:'.If somewhat heavier gauge .-metal .is-med, etheplankingunit canbeconstructedas shownin lligurecZ. In Athis instance the entire .unit-:sis.stamped from. a .single sheet-and .consists Vof .two *connectedside-.by-side, but .spacedinverted .channels 23. l i The inner f ianges;.24 of- .theseuchannels are connected. at- .their .bottom .edges by. an.integral'.1ovv.er,web25. 'The mainweb ,portionsu26 0f lthe two.channels. are:.in-p1anar alignment land .fmmzthe-top of the. plank.

in theconstruction shown* inzgligure. 1,y .the

described can lie-maintained notwithstanding-the provision of thereinforcing plates 28. These rinforcing plates also have the advantageof holding the hook portions of adjacent units against lateraldisplacement.

If desired, the salient features of the invention may be embodied in anextensible planking unit as shown in Figures 5 and 6. In this instancethe planking unit consists of outer and inner sets of Iinverted vsheetmetal channels'ZQ and 3.0 respec- 10 tively. The innerinverted'channels' are slidably received Within the outer channels, andto this end the inner channels are just slightly smaller itixnnrosssection than the outer channels. In the specific embodiment of this formof the inven- .15-t\ioln,= there (are fourl (4) inner and four (4) outerThe hooks I6 (alike at both ends ofthe plankchannels, although thisnumber may vary de- ,pending uponv the.contemplated Width of the1inishedplanking unit.

The marginal edge portions of the flanges on all of the outer channelsare turned in as at 3| over thei marginal edges .-.of the .manges `4onthe inner `channels which for.: the. sake.. of .reinforcementandtoavoidrough edgesare folded over..

The outerends` of the .twosets .ofchannels have cross pieceslal securedthereto by..we1ding.or-.the

` suitable supports.

The structure is held assembled, .that is,I against endw-iseseparationof the .two sets of.channels,..by stopsK 34. A.welded .totheundersidesofathainner channels .inposition 12o- `collide- Withproj.ectinnsBS Iformedintegrally..with a crcssmembeni..extending. across.vthe open..ends .of lthe..outer channels and secured to \the-1lang'es.thereof by.welding.or

the like.

`Conrugationsl are .formed inthe..web `portions of the channelswhich-serve.as-thentoppfothe planking .to provide anon-slip surface.

o Many` of! the ,features of.. the extensiblen planking1 unit. shown`j,in '.the. :Figures 5...and-. 6; can-...be conveniently. incorporatedin a xedlengthplank- `ing'run-itas. shown in Eig-ure: 7. In .this.instance a A.plurality .i of sideeby-.side separate inverted channels3l of uniform length arerheldassem- .bledby anglecross membersy 38.,Welded. another- Wisey secured ,tothaends. thereof. 'lhesegcrossmembers..y have .hookseS-:fxed `thereto. as. are the the plan'king'`unit areoiset laterally so that those on adjacent ends ofend-toi-.endunits ytrainierengageable. and` positionable.in.side-by`.side rela- .'tion on the same supporting memh'erlthuspermitting endvvise alignment `of the plankingmits.

-Asin-sthe embodiment of.'thestructureshown in Figures 5 and 6|, thewebportions of athe'channels arecorrugated Vin--ltlie construction shownin Figure '1 to provide a non-slipsurface.

From theforegoing description taken -in connetionwiththe accompanyingdravvingslit Will bey readilyapparent that this invention provides asim-ple,- highlyl useful adjunct to 'prsent day metliodsl of scaffoldingand that it provides' a light weight metal plankingmwhich has i'nay '70advantages over theY conventional practieof using, Wooden planksfor theplatform'sf runways yor stagings carriedt onf-the scaffldingf" 'Whfat I-clalm as my inventionis 1 1.- Light 'Weight metal planliingmof the4cliaractendescri-bd comprising: a 'plurality of' inverted sheet metalchannels; means for connecting said channels in side-by-side relationwith their Web portions substantially r 'o-planar, said means includinga cross member closing one end of said channels, the other end of saidchannels being open; a' second plurality of inverted sheet metalchannels slidably received in the rst designated channels and projectingfrom the open ends thereof; a cross member extending across and closingthe exposed end of said second plurality of channels and secured theretoto connect the same; hook means on said cross members; and means forholding said second plurality of channels slidably engaged with the rstplurality of channels.

2. Light weight metal planking of the character described comprising: aplurality of inverted sheet metal channels, each having the marginaledge portion of each of its flanges turned inwardly and upyardly toreinforce the channel and to provide a relatively narrow guide railopening upwardly toward the web of the channel; a second plurality ofinverted sheet metal channels, each having the marginal edge portion ofeach of its flanges bent back upon itself to reinforce the channel andto provide runners adapted to be received within the rails of said rstdesignated channels, said second designated plurality of channels beingtelescoped Within the first set with the runners on the flanges of thesecond set of channels slidably received in the guide rails on the angesof the channels of the rst set so as to provide a planking unit ofvariable length; a tie member extending across and secured to thechannels of each set to hold the same in side-by-side parallelrelationship; and means for limiting endwise separation of saidchannels, including a second tie member secured to and extending acrossthe channels of one of said sets.

3. light weight metal planking of the character described comprising: aplurality of inverted sheet metal channels; means for connecting saidchannels in side-by-side relation with their web portions substantiallyco-planar including a transverse member secured across the edges of theflanges of one of said pluralities of channels near one end thereof; asecond plurality of inverted sheet metal channels slidably received inthe rst designated channels; and a stop member secured to at least oneof the channels of the other plurality thereof, between the anges of thechannel, in position to collide with a portion of said transverse memberto thereby retain said channels against endwise separation.

ADAM F. POLLMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNTTED STATES PATENTS Number

